Posted Jan. 7, 2007 – Madison Square Garden has kicked off the new year with another round of lawsuits from Black women who say they were discriminated against.

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But in the latest action against the management of the New York City sports arena, filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, the alleged victims charge racism rather than sexual discrimination.

In December, Anucha Brown Sanders, a former senior vice president of the New York Knicks, settled with the facility management for $11.5 million after a jury found Coach Isiah Thomas guilty of harassing her. In a separate incident of sexual harassment, Courtney Prince, a former captain of the Rangers City Skaters cheerleaders, settled with Madison Square Garden for an undisclosed amount.

On Wednesday, Diane Henson and Sheila Gay-Robbins alleged that management gave White employees with lesser qualifications a more flexible schedule and better assignments, and that the Whites worked shorter hours for more money. Henson and Gay-Robbins, both in their 50s, said that the “younger White female employees” were also in a personal relationship with their bosses Kirk Randazzo, the Garden’s vice president for event operations, and Joseph DiCoco, a director of event operations.

Henson and Gay-Robbins said they were reprimanded unjustly and had disciplinary memos put in their files. Garden officials issued a statement saying that the women’s allegations were “without merit” and promised to “vigorously defend ourselves.”

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